A number of First Nations tribal and regional councils in Ontario are facing budget cuts of up to 64 per cent to their core funding.
Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy is concerned that recent federal and provincial government cuts to the core funding of First Nations organizations will muzzle their voices.
Sandy Lake’s Scott Meekis is excited about reaching the finals in the Enter the Den business writing plan competition for Thunder Bay high school students.
“I was amazed — I wasn’t even sure I was going to pass on to the semi-finals,” said the Grade 12 Dennis Franklin Cromarty First Nations High School student. “When I handed it in, I was thinking I wasn’t going to be chosen. I was surprised when my teacher told me (I was in the finals).”
Meekis said the staff and students at DFC have been congratulating him on making the finals.
A group of Thunder Bay’s homeless soccer players are practicing on Thursday evenings for an opportunity to play in the Canada Cup Tournament from May 28-31.
“It’s good exercise for me,” said Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug’s Derek Redsky. “It’s a positive activity they’re trying to do. I encourage more people to come out and play. It’s street soccer, it’s recreational and it’s good exercise.”
Redsky said about four homeless people usually show up to play on Thursdays with a group of volunteers, but he has seen up to eight homeless players on some days.
Deer Lake’s Misti Harding won the Best Use of Primary Research award for her diabetes presentation at the 5th Annual Aboriginal Science Fair at Confederation College.
Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias called for more “meat” on the Ring of Fire regional framework agreement during the April 24 celebration with Premier Kathleen Wynne in Thunder Bay.
“The framework is only a first step,” Moonias said. “We have to put some meat on it. We are the people in Matawa that need to tell (the federal and provincial governments): ‘this is what we need, this is what we want, this is where we want to go.’ That is what we have to do in the next few months, in the next few years, whatever time it takes.”
Five Deer Lake families will soon have new homes thanks to the installation of a groundbreaking solar power system at the Deer Lake School.
“To reduce peak load and connect five more homes, we developed a three-part plan, including conservation, load shifting and installing a PV (photovoltaic) solar system,” said Deer Lake Chief Royle Meekis.
“This is important not only for the families who are waiting to move into these new houses, but for all of Deer Lake.”
Nishnawbe Aski Nation is aiming to advance the economic security and prosperity of First Nations women and girls through $200,000 in federal government funding.
“We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the government of Canada to help women in First Nations communities access new economic options,” Fiddler said. “We will work collaboratively with women and other stakeholders at the community level to help more women achieve this important goal.”
Fiddler said the 24-month project will be aimed at a “good cross-section” of NAN’s 49 communities.
About 600 Kashechewan evacuees are doing well in Thunder Bay after being evacuated over the May 10-11 weekend due to flooding from the Albany River.
“We got evacuated Saturday (May 10) at night to Thunder Bay and we got here about one o’clock in the morning,” said Ruby Wesley, a mother of two children aged three and eight who was interviewed before Wawatay was informed media were not allowed to interview community members at their accommodations in Thunder Bay. “Our basement got flooded — the water was seeping into the ditches and the water was rising.”
Neskantaga recently issued a call to action to improve living conditions after three youth committed suicide since last summer, including a 16-year-old girl on April 2.
“I have to do something because my people live in poverty, my people are killing themselves, my people don’t have clean drinking water,” said Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias on April 29.
“I want to make a change for the betterment of the community and the people and the generations to come.”
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